Is There Really a Christmas Tree Shortage this Year?

UNDATED - There were some national reports over the weekend warning of Christmas tree shortage this year. But, a local farmer assures us there's no need to panic.

No, we're not going to run out of Christmas trees. What's happening nationwide is the pacific northwest, which has the largest number of growers, and North Carolina also both are running into a shortage because back in the recession days they didn't plant.

Jan Donelson is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Christmas Tree Association. She says Minnesota Christmas tree farmers continued to plant new trees through the recession years.

But in Minnesota, we have thousands and thousands of trees available. So we aren't running into that. There are beautiful trees to pick from and a really good supply.

Donelson says it takes about 10-12 years for a tree to grow before it's ready for your house for Christmas.

Meanwhile, styles that were trendy in the 1980s are popular again and that includes your Christmas tree. Donelson says scotch pines were all the rage in the 80s, then fir and short needle trees took over in the 90s and early 2000s.

In cycling again we are starting to see the pines come back, the Scotch Pine the Norway Pine and the White Pine. They aren't at the top yet, but we are seeing them come back in.

And, as far as what could be popular in the future, Donelson says there's a new variety coming on the market called a Korean Fir.

If you're looking for a little color in your life, this is the second year Donelson's tree farm is offering living colored trees.